Bump’s Breakdown: How UW Huskies, WSU Cougars shined in Week 1
Sep 7, 2022, 3:19 PM
Both the UW Huskies and WSU Cougars kicked off the 2022 season in a good way, with each program winning its season opener.
For the Huskies under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, that was a 45-20 win over visiting Kent State.
UW Huskies roll Kent State 45-20 in opener led by 4 TDs by Penix
For the Cougs, Jake Dickert began his first season as WSU’s full-time head coach with a 24-17 victory over Idaho in the renewed Battle of the Palouse.
Cameron Ward throws 3 TDs, WSU tops Idaho 24-17 in opener
Someone who watched both games closely is Michael Bumpus, a former NFL receiver who starred at WSU and now hosts Seattle Sports 710 AM’s Bump and Stacy, which airs every weekday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bump shared what he saw from both the UW Huskies and WSU Cougars during his latest video breakdown for Seattle Sports’ YouTube page.
For the Huskies, the focus heading into this season was on what the offense would look like after a very poor showing last season, especially since DeBoer comes from an offensive background. So far, so good for UW, Bumpus says.
“I think they looked really good, man,” he said.
The UW Huskies have a new starting quarterback in transfer Michael Penix Jr., who played very well for DeBoer at Indiana in 2019. He was great in his debut, completing 26 of 39 passes for 345 yards and four touchdowns.
Penix ➡️ Davis
📺 @FS1
📲 https://t.co/wAkv217v8u#NoLimits #PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/P31dtnfDGE— Washington Football (@UW_Football) September 4, 2022
In the video, Bumpus said Penix looked to be in “complete control” of the UW Huskies offense, and he shared what else stood out about Penix as Washington’s offense.
As for WSU, the Cougars fumbled on their first possession and went three-and-out on their second. The result? An early 10-0 lead for Idaho.
But WSU showed they were the better team, Bumpus said, and showed that in the 24-17 win.
Like UW, the Cougs have a new starting quarterback who transferred in. That would be Cameron Ward, who completed 25 of his 40 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns and didn’t record a turnover.
TOUCHDOWN WASHINGTON STATE!@Cameron7Ward ➡️ @Dezhaunthegreat
WATCH | @Pac12Network #GoCougs | #WAZZU pic.twitter.com/sEII4AFvCT
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) September 4, 2022
Bumpus thought Ward ran the RPO (run-pass option) game “beautifully” in his first game with WSU, and showed promising early chemistry with slot receiver Lincoln Victor, who had three catches for 38 yards.
While Ward got a lot of the fanfare heading into the season, WSU’s defense, Bumpus said, was the reason the Cougars stayed in the game and ultimately won despite Idaho’s early scoring off turnovers. He explained what he liked from head coach Jake Dickert’s defense against the Vandals. Bumpus also explained in the video why WSU winning by just seven points ultimately shouldn’t concern any of the program’s fans.
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